Covering pad



June 24, 1941. W. DOIG covERING PAD Filed Feb. 28, 1940 TToNYs Y Patente June 24, 1941 Claims.

This invention relates to a covering pad and more particularly to a kneeling pad for use with kneeling benches or kneelers of the type provided in churches.

Kneeling benches are usually made of Wood or similar hard material and for this reason are frequently provided with a covering pad which will protect the knees and legs of worshipers. Many disadvantages have been associated with the covering pads heretofore employed. Thus where carpeting or similar material has been employed it was dihcult to keep the material clean and to preserve its proper shape. Attempts have been made to provide covering pads formed of soit porous rubber having .an upper surface made of a relatively dense rubber. However, I have found that the porous rubber deteriorates in the pads heretofore provided due t0 the fact that the longitudinal and transverse edges thereof are exposed to air and light.

Also, the edges 0f the rubber pads heretofore employed frequently chip and break due to the fact that many people walk on the kneeling benches or use them as foot rests. It will also be appreciated that the square sharp edges of the `rubber covering pads heretofore employed are readily caught by the heel oi a shoe with the result that the pad is scuiled or broken at this point or is pulled away from the kneeling bench. in order to protect the edges of the rubber pads attempts have been made to use metal clamps in the form of angle strips along the edges at both ends. However7 the `metal clamps have been unsatisfactory due to the fact that they frequently cause injury to the Worshiper using the kneeling bench or damage his clothing.

it is an object of the present invention to overcome the diniculties heretofore encountered as outlined above and to provide an improved covering pad made of rubber and having iniproved protecting strips along the edges so as to protect the rubber from air and light and also protect the edges from scufng and breaking and at the same time prevent injury to the worshiper and damage to his clothing,

A further object is the provision of an improved kneeling pad of attractive appearance and relatively inexpensive construction which will eiectively protect worshipers using it and will prevent injury to their clothing and will last for a relatively long period of time.

For a fuller understanding of the invention reference should be had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a perspective View, partially frag- Fig. 2 is a. transverse sectional View of the kneeling pad shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the protecting strip used in the first form of my invention;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of a kneeling pad having a modied type of protecting strip;

Fig. 5 is a perspective View or" the protecting strip shown in Fig. 4; and

Figs. 6 and 'l are fragmentary sectional views of kneeling pads showing further modifications of the protecting strip.

My improved pad comprises a base or foundation layer ill made of soft flexible porous rubber such as sponge rubber or oi soft flexible porous latex rubber of the type identified by the trade mark Airfoam. To the top of the foundation layer I secure a surface layer Il made of protective material such as a relatively J@hin sheet of flexible dense and solid rubber. The surface layer is secured to the foundation layer in some suitable manner as by anadhesive or by being vulcanized thereto.

Along the longitudinal and transverse edges of the pad I provide an improved protecting strip which, in the first ferm of my invention, is indicated by the numeral l2. The protecting strip is preferably made from a flexible relatively dense and solid rubber and in the preferred form of my invention is hollow in construction. Thus the protecting strip l2 is provided with a convex, arcuate, outer surface lli to which the bottom and side Walls I5 and It which are perpendicular to each other are secured forming a hollow tubular structure.

The protecting strips are secured to the longitudinal and transverse edges of the pad by vulcanizing or adhesively securing the Wall i6 thereto. The protective strip is preferably slightly higher than the assembled pad and at the top thereof is formed with an inwardly protruding iiange i-'l' which overlies the surface layer l! and is secured thereto in the same manner as the wall it is secured to the side of the pad. The entire assembly is then attached in turn as by an adhesive to the top of the kneeling bench i3 which is usually formed oi wood. When assembled, the bottom wall l5 should be in substantially the same plane as the bottom of the foundation layer.

The pad should generally be of substantially the same size and shape as the top of the kneeling bench. Thus in the illustrated embodiment Y my invention.

the top of the kneeling bench is rectangular and the pad is similarly rectangular in shape but preferably slightly smaller in length and width. Frequently the kneeling bench is provided with rounded edges as indicated at I9 and so as to cause the protecting strip to conform to the shape thereof and to adhere closely thereto I provide the outer portion of the strip with a depending lip 2o which preferably tapers towards its end. 'Ihe lip 2i) will conform to the rounded edge as shown in the drawing and will also conform to a flat surface and to surfaces having varying congurations.

In Figures 4 and 5 I have shown a modified type of protecting strip I2 adapted for use in connection with the same form of pad as slhown in the first two figures of the drawing. The strip l2 is the same in all respects as the strip I2 with the exception that I provide an inwardly projecting flange 2l at the lower portion thereof and adapted to underlie and compresses the lower edge of the foundation layer Ill. The lange 2i' is preferably secured to the foundation layer in the same manner as the side wall I6.

In the form of my invention indicated in Fig. 6 I have provided a protecting strip 22 having an arcuate convex wall at 24 corresponding to the wall f4, a bottom wall 25 corresponding to the wall l and ya side wall 26 corresponding to the wall I6 but having a slotted opening 2l' extending for substantially the entire length thereof so as to provide communication between the pores in the rubber and the hollow space inside the protecting strip 22. This form of protecting strip is similarly provided with an inwardly projecting flange 28 adjacent the top thereof and a depending lip 29 at the bottom thereof which correspond to the flange l1 and the lip 2l). The strip 22 is secured to the kneeling pad in the same manner as in the first form of my invention and the entire assembly is similarly' secured as by means of an adhesive to the kneeling bench.

In the form of my invention shown in Fig. 7 the protecting strip 3S is not hollow but is provided with an arcuate convex outer surface 3l and a lower wall 32 both of which are adapted to be secured as by vulcanization or adhesive directly to the foundation layer lil which extends laterally beyond the edges of the surface layer. The arcuate wall 3l is provided with an inwardly projecting flange 33 which overlies the surface layer and is similarly secured thereto while the lower wall 32 tapers towards the end thereof as indicated at 34 and has a depending lip 35 similar to the lip 2D in the first form of The assembly shown in Fig. '7 is attached to the kneeling bench` in the same manner as in the other forms of my invention.

From the foregoing d-escription it will be seen that my improved kneeling pad provides a soft protective covering for a kneeling bench which will provide additional comfort for worshipers. It will also be seen that the pad is formed so that it is only protected from the adverse effects of air and light and from kicking and scufflng but also soas to protect worshipers from injury to themselves and to their clothing.

It should be appreciated that modifications Y may be mad-e in the illustrated and described It should also be understoodsynthetic rubber, rubber substitutes and rubberlike materials, as well as natural rubber.

I claim- 1. A covering pad for kneeling benches or the like comprising a foundation layer made of relatively soft flexible porous rubber, a surface layer made of relatively dense flexible rubber secured to and covering substantially the entire top of the foundation layer, and protecting strips made of relatively flexible dense rubber secured to and covering substantially all portions of the side edge of the foundation layer and comprising hollow bodies each formed with a curved outer wall extending from a plane adjacent the top of the surface layer to a plane at least as low as the bottom of the foundation, `layer and with two straight walls positioned at right angles to each other, one of which is secured to the side edge of the foundation and surface layers and the other of which is in substantially the same plane asv the lower surface of the foundation layer, the said protecting strip being provided with an inwardly projecting ange adjacent the top thereof which overlies and is secured to the upper surfacev of the surface layer and with a tapered depending lip adjacent the outer edge of the bottom wall.

2. A covering pad for kneeling benches or the like comprising a foundation layer made of relatively soft flexible porous rubber, a surface layer made of relatively flexible dense rubber secured to and covering substantially the entire top of the foundation layer, and a protecting strip for a side edge of the pad comprising a hollow body made of relatively flexible dense rubber having a convex outer wall. extending from a plane adjacent the top of the surface layer to a plane at least as low as the bottom of the foundation layer, a straight bottom wall positioned in substantially the same plane as the lower surface of the foundation layer and a vertically disposed wall secured to the edge of the foundation and surface layers and having `an opening formed therein providing communication between the inside of the hollow body and the pores in the foundation layer, the said protecting strip being provided with a flange adjacent the top of the convex wall which overlies and is secured to the upper surface of the surface layer and with a taper-ed depending lip adjacent the bottom of the concave Wall.

3. A covering pad for a kneeling bench or the like comprising a foundation layer made of relatively soft exible porousfrubber, a surface layer made of relatively flexiblel dense rubber secured to the top of the foundation layer, the side edges of the foundation layer projecting laterally beyondl the edges of the surface layer and a protecting strip made of relatively exible dense rubber comprising.` an arcuate convex wall secured to a laterally projecting edge of the foundation` layer and having a flange overlying and secured to the upper surface of surface-layer and a bottom wall extending beneath and secured to the undersurfa'ce of the foundation layer, said bottom wall being formed'with a tapered depending lipadjacent its outer edge.

'4. A covering pad for a' kneeling bench or the like comprising a foundation layer made of relatively soft exibleporousrubber, a surface layer made of relatively flexible dense rubber secured tothe top of the foundation layer; anda protecting strip secured to and covering-'one of the side edges of the foundation layer, said protecting strip having an arcuate convex outer surface extending substantially from a plane adjacent the 5. A covering pad as set forth in claim 4 in top of the surface layer to a plane at least as low which the protecting strip s provided with a as the bottom of the foundation layer and havflange adjacent the top thereof which overlies ing a lower Wall in substantially the same plane and is secured to the upper surface of the suras the lower surface of the foundation layer and 5 face layer.

which is formed with a tapered depending lip ad- WILLIAM DOIG. jacent the outer edge thereof. 

